A profile of a Phra Kru Ba Neua Chai, a monk who rides his horse around the Thai-Myanmar countryside fighting drugs. The former law student also happens to be a professional muay thai boxer covered in tattoos, who lost just three fights in his 15-year career. From Malaysia’s Star:
At 29, he told his wife of eight years that he wanted to get ordained. He left for Chiang Rai, where he sat on a rock in the forest and meditated for 15 days. Bees came and covered his body.
“It was as though they were my teachers. Each time I couldn’t focus, they would sting me.”
To show he had been reborn to devote his life to the Buddha, several monks spent four days and nights tattooing his body with scripture signifying that he’ll never give up his vows.
[…] On his horse, Kru Ba would – among other things – tell villagers to plant vegetables instead of drug crops and haul addicts back to his monastery to help them recover.
He has become an enemy of drug barons who have tried to kill him. He has defended himself against attackers with his muay thai skills and survived a serious poisoning attempt through meditation.
He believes he has been spared death because his work is not done yet. He shows me two bullet holes in the hut where he sleeps.
“They put the nozzles of their guns through the holes, but when they tried to pull the triggers, the guns jammed.”
1 response so far ↓
1 B // Mar 24, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Where do I sign up? Haha!
We need some people like that here.
Leave a Comment